Author: Rochelle C. Pangilinan

Whether you have grown up with pets at home, or have simply always wanted to own a pet of your own, it can be tempting to get one as soon as you’re away at college and living on your own.  However, while there are many benefits to owning pets, students have a lot to consider before making the decision to bring home a fishy, feathered, or furry friend.

Pros

Pets Help Reduce Stress and Loneliness

Being away from home for the first time, being loaded down with classes and homework, and possibly needing to work part time are some of the challenges students face in college and university.  There is a lot of evidence that pet ownership can improve mental health, and help reduce feelings of stress and loneliness — all of which are issues that can affect students.  Pets provide companionship, and can give students something that loves them unconditionally, or something that they can talk to and complain about problems.

Some Pets Encourage Regular Exercise

Mostly applicable to dogs, pet ownership can encourage students to get outside and enjoy regular physical activity such as walking or running with their dog, or engaging in other physical pursuits such as ball or frisbee tossing.  Since dogs need to be walked several times a day, this makes sure that you get outside and move around at least a few times a day, too.  Spending time walking a dog is also a great way to discover your neighbourhood and enjoy your local parks, trails, and other outdoor venues.

Pets Can Be a Social Icebreaker or Help You Make Friends

Pets of any kind, whether an active cat or dog, or a quiet hamster or turtle, can help you make friends and socialize.  You will meet lots of other dog owners when you’re out for a walk, which can help you make friends in the neighbourhood.  Many cities also have regular pet events such as charity walks or pop-up markets, where you can meet other pet owners.  Having a pet is also a great social ice breaker when meeting new people, since almost everyone likes to hear about someone’s pet!

Cons

Pets Are Expensive

This might be the biggest consideration, as many students are already on a budget in order to pay for tuition, books, food, and rent or residence fees.  Any pet needs food and vet visits, and depending on the kind of pet, they will often require other items such as litter boxes, kennels or carrying cages, dishes, collars and licenses, and toys.  It’s important to look at your budget and add up the potential costs for a pet, before committing to a purchase or adoption.

Pets Need A Lot of Your Time and Attention

Students in college and university are already busy, and adding a pet to the mix can be difficult.  All pets need at least some of your time and attention regularly, whether it’s daily walks and playtime for cats and dogs, or weekly tank cleaning and water changes for fish or amphibians.  Feeding is also a daily requirement.  It’s important to consider your school and work schedule before committing to a pet, and to be willing to accommodate the right amount of pet time into your schedule.  Owning a pet while in school also means you have less flexibility to be spontaneous; you can’t stay out all night, or decide to go away for the weekend, without making a plan for the care and feeding of your animal.

You Can Still Get a Pet — With Some Thought

If you’ve read the above and still want a pet, that’s great!  Just be sure to give some thought to the best pet for your situation — living situation, financial situation, and schedule.

You might want a dog, but if you live in student residence or a building that doesn’t allow dogs, or can’t afford the food and vet bills, then right now a different pet might be a better choice, such as a hamster or some fish.  There are lots of pets big and small, furry and feathered and fishy, that you can find the perfect pet for you.

Sources:

http://gcmag.org/the-benefits-of-owning-a-pet-in-college/

https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/pets-in-college/

https://studybreaks.com/college/pets-college/

High schoolers and post-secondary students often find themselves increasingly interested in politics. It is a complex and controversial subject, but also one of profound importance. Politics can shape how one sees the world, how they interact with it, and what they do with their lives. Students greatly benefit from increased political involvement at their school. They learn more about themselves and about others around them. Perhaps most importantly, they learn how to disagree.

An ideal place to start is one’s own political views. People need to know what they believe in and stand for before they discuss and debate those ideas with others. Build a rounded and well-informed political perspective by reading and watching news from various sources, as well as researching political history and ideas. The variety in these sources is critical in order to minimize one’s own bias and to gain insight and understanding into other people’s opinions. Read into opposing viewpoints, which paves the way for a better understanding of what the other side is saying, and why. In doing so, political debates are less likely to devolve into personal attacks and arguments.

With that foundation, pursue political foundation at school. Sign up for extracurricular groups and activities related to political parties and major issues. Join a debate club or school newspaper. If these opportunities are not present, look into starting up a group or blog. Politics can be brought into classroom discussion and assignments, as well as informal conversations with classmates and friends. It is important to remember not to make these exchanges personal and to listen to what others have to say. First-person statements (“I think that…”) are far likelier to generate healthy discussion as opposed to combative statements (“you are wrong”). Everyone benefits when engaging in politics peacefully.

As this political involvement picks up, carry on those activities outside of the walls of the school. Volunteer for advocacy groups fighting for marginalized people or specific issues. Sign up to volunteer for political parties or politicians in the community who champion important causes. Reaching out to local Members of Parliament can help get one’s voice heard and increase involvement in the community. This can include activity on social media, attendance at townhalls, and encouraging friends to vote and be involved in their own way. Even if there are disagreements, this involvement can generate healthy discussion and makes it more likely that those disagreements will lead to productive action instead of pointless bickering.

Politics is complex. It can bring about great change and a sense of meaning and purpose in one’s life, just as much as it can destroy friendships and get people trapped in circular arguments and petty squabbles. In a world facing a pandemic, climate crisis, divisive political parties, and other major issues, you cannot afford to be apathetic and apolitical. By understanding your own views, engaging others, and partaking in the community, you can become politically active in a peaceful and productive manner. You will gain confidence, get an idea of what you want to do in the future, and build a better world.

Sources:

The Scholarship System. “5 Ways Students Can Get Involved in Politics (and Why They Should).” https://thescholarshipsystem.com/blog-for-students-families/5-ways-students-can-get-involved-in-politics-and-why-they-should/

Schuschu, Monikah. “A Guide to Being Politically Engaged in High School.” CollegeVine. https://blog.collegevine.com/a-guide-to-being-politically-engaged-in-high-school/

TeensHealth. “5 Ways to (Respecfully) Disagree.” https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/tips-disagree.html

Writing well is a one of the most valuable skills that students can learn. This ability is important for communicating with teachers, family, employers, and others. Following specific guidelines can make the task more challenging, especially with a word count, but it is often necessary. Learning to follow these guidelines is an important skill to develop.

In school, some of your assignments might include a word or page limit. When you get your assignment back, you might find that your teacher has commented on the length or amount of repetition in your work. Learning to eliminate the extra words in what you write will help you to have greater focus and to make your points more concisely. You can also edit the paper for length and clarity, making sure that you have stayed on topic and that you have included the necessary information.

In many ways, writing for an employer can be like composing an essay for class, although the differences are sometimes greater than the similarities. Except for novelists and freelance writers, people normally have limited control over the subject matter or the length of what they are supposed to write. This can be challenging, especially for someone who becomes accustomed to one style of writing and then must adapt to another, often with a very different style and word limit.

This has also been my experience. For many years, I have been writing articles for a children’s magazine on topics ranging from beavers and polar bears to Canadian politicians to new technology. In many of these articles, my struggle is to keep the information down to three hundred words while still explaining the subject thoroughly.

Often on the same day that I write one of my school articles for young students, I might also write a piece on driving-related topics for an audience of people aged sixteen or older. With those articles, the word length is approximately one thousand, although I frequently write slightly more than the designated count.

In the school articles, my struggle is to decide what to leave out. However, with the driving articles, I often find that I have finished what I had to say when I am still just halfway to the thousand-word mark. However, I am learning to look for related points to discuss that can further explain the main idea. I just have to make sure to stay on topic.

Any extra information should support the main point. For example, an article on windshield wipers could have a section on different types of mud and dust but not about air conditioners. Just as a school essay has an introduction, supporting points, and a conclusion, these articles need structure and form. Keeping this structure in mind also helps me to stay within the word count. It can take time to search for unnecessary words or sentences, or sometimes to expand on what I already have, but the result is worth the trouble.

Learning to write for a specific word length is a useful skill. Whatever your age, you can start to develop this valuable technique.

Bibliography:

Hicks, Ryan. “Writing an Essay or Article that Has a Word Count Requirement?”
https://writingcooperative.com/writing-an-essay-or-article-that-has-a-word-count-requirement-75ab57897764

Purdue Online Writing Lab. “Choosing a Topic.”
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/research_papers/choosing_a_topic.html

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Editing and Proofreading.” https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  “Writing Concisely.” https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/conciseness-handout/